Christine Walz got involved in Scouts as a leader when her oldest daughter was in Catholic school. "They didn't have any Scout troops there," said Walz. At the time, Daisy Scouts didn't exist. So Walz became a Brownie leader. "I had the very first troop at that school and I had 22 girls in first, second and third grades," she said. "I was a leader for a few years back then, and I've been a leader in Hebron for five years," said Walz.

Walz said she was a Girl Scout when she was a child, but only as a Brownie and Junior Scout. "I do remember that every year we had a new leader, but they were all amazing," said Walz. "I remember learning to sew, going to camp, having a talent show, earning badges, and having so much fun with my friends." Walz feels the experience must have influenced her, as she has many happy memories.

Her middle daughter had a wonderful leader in Hebron. But when there was no leader available for her youngest daughter's troop, Walz decided to get involved in Scouting again. "I didn't want her to miss what her sisters had," said Walz. "I started with a Daisy troop of 12, which quickly jumped to 17 by Brownies." Walz also coaches cheerleading through Hebron's Youth League, and runs a fifth-through-eighth-grade Youth Group at Marlborough Congregational Church. Many of her troop members are involved in more than one of these activities. "It's pretty special," she said.

Walz said that very involved moms have been a huge blessing to her troop. "The moms became life-long friends too," she said. "We really had open meetings, so lots of times there were many moms along with the girls, and this made things easy. I've always had lots of wonderful help," said Walz. With co-leaders, a treasurer, and dedicated moms helping out in cookie, candy and magazine sales, her job has been so much easier, said Walz. And one of the most rewarding experiences has been watching the girls mature.

"What I love is seeing how much the girls have grown since Daisy Scouts," said Walz. "They have grown into sweet, smart, lovely young women. We still talk about all the fun things we have done together."

The only challenge, said Walz, has been earning troop funds. "As the girls grew and became involved in sports and other activities and tons more homework, the troop got smaller. So it's harder to make money," she said.

Walz' troop works with a "sister troop" on many activities. "That makes it even more fun for the girls," she said. Together the groups have had a Carol Sing at Marlborough Healthcare, and are planning a big Mother/Daughter Sock Hop. "For that, we got together and cooked a big meal to share, then learned some '50s dances and did some planning," said Walz. "We will have an old-fashioned soda shoppe, dance and hula hoop contests and more fun things." The girls will dress in poodle skirts or jeans and leather jackets, said Walz. There is also a camping trip planned with the sister troop in the summer.

Walz said that one of her favorite memories is still the very first sleepover held by the troop as Daisy Scouts. "It had a Fancy Nancy theme, and the girls made tea cups and jewelry and brought their favorite princess dresses," she said. In the morning there was a tea party and fashion show. "Adorable!" said Walz.

Last year the troop went to a New York dude ranch. The girls rode horses and attended a water park. "It was a blast!" said Walz. "It was October, so there was a big costume ball at night, and the food and evening entertainment was fantastic!" she added.

Working with the girls is amazing, said Walz. "We have had so many fun overnight trips, and working on badges is always fun," she said. Doing service projects is also rewarding, said Walz. "Last year we collected hundreds of pajamas and books for The Pajama Project," she said.

The Sachem Service Unit, which runs Hebron and Andover, makes life easier for local leaders by providing wonderful leadership, said Walz. "There are always fun things being planned for the troops by the service unit," she said.

Walz said the organization is always looking for new leaders. "We all help each other," she said. "I would highly recommend becoming a leader."